To start, what is WISPAPALOOZA?
WISPAPALOOZA, also known as WISPA, is a 5-day event that brings together the WISP (Wireless Internet Service Providers) world. Industry experts, leading suppliers and customers like you come together to network, learn, engage in demos and become inspired. This year it was hosted in Las Vegas, Nevada and had over 160 Exhibitors showcasing their products and services.

Team members from our global company came to WISPAPALOOZA from all over. Let’s hear their story!

Q: Was this the first time Bicom Systems attended WISPAPALOOZA?
A: No. This was our third WISPA event and second time attending WISPAPALOOZA. WISPA also hosts a tradeshow called ‘WISPAMERICA’ that we also attended this year.

Q: Was this the first time being a Platinum Sponsor?
A: No. We were also a Platinum Sponsor last year.

Q: What did Bicom Systems do at WISPAPALOOZA?
A: This year was a little different for us because we hosted our first ‘User Group Meeting’. We held this on Monday, before the show officially started and had three guest speakers.

Our guests covered topics such as; marketing, user experience, regulatory and compliance and it made our session more appreciated. The speakers generated a lot of conversation and interest from the attendees. The audience became very excited to upgrade to our latest versions once they saw what they were missing.

Q: Are there any awards or prizes given out?
A: Yes. There are 8 categories for awards. Bicom Systems was nominated for “Manufacturer of the Year”. Although we did not win, the WISPA board of directors spoke highly of our impact on the organization.

Q: Did you participate in any information sessions?
A: Yes! There were many information sessions going on during the 5-day trade show. Information sessions are used to share expertise, network and learn more about the topic.

Saulio Reyes (Account Manager) from our team, alongside companies such as Amarillo Wireless, Powercode and Network Business Systems, participated in an information session called ‘Scaling WISP from 0-1500’. It focused on how to scale up business operations and the best practices to do so.

Kevin Langford (Account Manager) also from Bicom Systems, spoke at ‘Starting a WISP 101’. There were 7 other speakers for this session and they analyzed the many considerations that are involved when getting a WISP started. Kevin focused his presentation mainly on not just selling internet and guided the audience into VoIP.

Finally, Kevin (Account Manager) also spoke at ‘WISP’s in the Clouds/UCaas and ‘How WISPs Can Capitalize’. These information sessions reminded customers that they are running a business first and a network second. They were extremely educational and discussed the opportunities companies have to grow their customer base.

Q: When you sponsor WISPA, you receive a keynote speaking slot. How did that go?
A: That is right. When you sponsor WISPAPALOOZA as a Diamond or Platinum sponsor you are given a Vendor Spotlight. On behalf of Bicom Systems, Account Manager Kevin Langford, presented a 1-hour product description Q&A information session. The presentation dissected each product and their many editions. It gave the audience a chance to learn in depth about our current and future products, their newer updates and much more. It was so engaging that everyone who attended the keynote, stopped into our booth afterward to learn more!

Q: Aside from businesses, who attends WISPAPALOOZA?
A: (Kevin Langford): In my experience, you have 4 types of people who attend trade shows like WISPAPALOOZA.
1) Curious customers who are interested in learning about the industry
2) Consumers who want to start a WISP
3) Businesses who are a WISP/ISP
4) ‘Techie’s’ (Tech-i-es: ‘a person who is very knowledgeable or enthusiastic about technology and especially high technology’) – Merriam-Webster

Q: If other businesses and customers were to ask if WISPAPALOOZA was worth attending, what would your advice be?
A: (Kevin Langford): Have a game plan. You cannot be in two places at one time and although the committee tries not to schedule two popular information sessions at the same time, it happens. Research the vendors who are going to be there. Plan your days. Make a schedule.

Thanks for reading and we will see you at the next trade show!

If you are still considering attending WISPAPALOOZA as a vendor, check out this blog post by Minim. The company’s CEO seamlessly breaks down the event and all the dos/don’ts all from a newbies perspective.

If you are interested in learning more about Bicom Systems visit our website here.

According to Forbes, the Cloud Computing Market is expected to reach $411B by 2020 and the Software as a Service (SaaS) market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 16%, growing from $58.6B in 2017 to $99.7B by 2020 (source).

Service Providers abound in today’s marketplace, however it is yet to be seen how many will successfully capture this opportunity and expand their existing offerings to meet the demand for Cloud and SaaS Add-Ons.

SaaS – Software as a Service – is just a fancy name for all of those cloud and software-based add-ons that increase the value of your existing solutions. For example, Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) or Contact Center as a Service (CCaaS).

Have your customers and prospects started requesting these new services yet? Have you had to turn down any feature requests? Turn away any prospects looking for a one-stop-shop?

As evidenced by the financial data, contemporary technologies like UCaaS and CCaaS are quickly becoming expectations rather than extras. If you do not yet provide them, you are missing opportunities to grow your business and secure your future.

Adding these new technologies to your existing offering will enable you to:

1. Reach more customers

SaaS add-ons are in high demand. Offering those services allows you to say “yes” to whatever your next prospect may request. The more services you offer, the more customers you will reach.

Not only will you win more customers in your existing niche, these additional solutions will allow you to enter new markets. For example, the Contact Center as a Service sphere is growing rapidly and offers a whole new group of prospective customers.

2. Generate more profit

Any kind of addition to your existing product line opens up the opportunity for more return on each sale. You are making your products more valuable. Best of all, customers are willing to pay for it. These softwares are powerful tools that will improve business and are worth the price.

Expanding your product line is an important step to building your brand. As your customer base grows, your brand will grow too.

3. Future-proof your business

Adopting SaaS will prepare your business for the future in a few ways. First of all, the monthly subscription models fosters a long-term commitment that reduces customer churn. Becoming a one-stop-shop discourages customers from leaving for greener pastures.

Second, in our innovation-obsessed industry, it is important to keep pace with the technological trends and evolve to meet demand very quickly. Adopting the cloud and SaaS is a step in the right direction. Partnering with a vendor of contemporary technologies ensures that you have someone in your camp looking out for the next trends.

This all sounds great, so… Where to start?

We would love to chat with you about your business and how to seize this opportunity. Meet Bicom Systems this fall at WISPAPALOOZA or AstriCon to learn all about the latest technologies and how to add them to your business offering.

Our first Bicom Systems User Group Meeting will be on Monday October 8th at WISPAPALOOZA in Las Vegas. It is a free event and open to ALL WISPS (you do not have to be or become a customer to attend). Join us from 9:00 to 4:00 for a behind-the-scenes look at VoIP, UCaaS, and CCaaS with networking and presentations from:

– VoIP Marketing Guru Suzanne Urash of CR8 Group who will share her secrets to getting your phones ringing off the hook

– ThinQ, the best kept secret in the carrier space, who will explain how their toolset has greatly increased their partners’ Quality of Service for customers

– Kris Twomey, from the Law Office of Krisopher Twomey and Carol Lisowski, who will speak on telecom compliance and the most recent regulatory issues.

Trade shows are extremely important events to attend whether you are there as an exhibitioner or attendee. These conventions provide you with opportunities to grow, expose yourself, or even cement your position in an industry. Below you will find the top three reasons why you should definitely be at every trade show possible this year.

Branding and Networking Opportunities
There are many advantages to attending a trade show but by far the top advantage comes from the many branding and networking opportunities you are given. By just being on-site, you are able to increase awareness about you business and make yourself known.

Another major advantage to attending a trade show is having the chance to meet like-minded individuals. These individuals can come in the form of current customers and meeting with them for the first time, potential new customers, and suppliers that are interested in your product. Finally, there is huge press exposure that comes along with trade shows, that, if done right, can have a major positive impact on the company.

Assessment of Environment
The second reason why trade shows are important for your company is the opportunity they give you to assess the climate of your industry. This way you are able to know your options as either a supplier or reseller, you are able to get the best deal on whatever it is you may be looking for – as competition is a lot higher in trade show environments – and it simplifies the search in terms of needs fulfillment.

Positive Sales Environment
Lastly, trade shows are an instrument in creating a positive sales experience for both the exhibitor and attendee. The exhibitor is there in the hopes of creating a meaningful connection with the aim of positively selling whatever brand they are representing. This face-to-face interaction helps the exhibitor better gauge how their audience is reacting, allowing for the creation of better sales tactics. This is extremely helpful since those in attendance are currently in the “active search” mode, which means they are far more interested now than they will ever be again. As for the attendee, they avoid the trap that is direct sales, as the act of face-to-face selling is met with far less apprehension than other forms such as sales calls.

Exhibiting, or even just being an attendee, at a trade show is a fairly simple way to grow and improve your business. The three aforementioned benefits to trade shows should be utilized properly in order to reap maximum payoff.

The UCaaS market is projected to grow in North America at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of between 25 to 30 percent until 2020, with a total user base rising from 11.6M (2016) to over 27M by 2020. Barriers to entry into this market have been set exceedingly high, but our latest releases are designed to support your transition into this lucrative market.

Join us for lunch this September or October as we travel across the country giving presentations on the newest Cloud UC technologies, services, and strategies to help your business establish a presence in the UCaaS market and offer services that customers are increasingly demanding.

From coast to coast we will hit 17 different locations during TelcoFest, including WISPAPALOOZA and AstriCon, click here to find a local venue near you and connect with us.

Bicom Systems, with over 15 years of experience delivering success, has developed a formula to increase revenue, profits, and customer satisfaction by:

Adding more value to existing solutions by merging multiple technologies like Unified Communications, Key Systems, the Cloud, and more into one stable, marketable product.

Reducing customer churn by stimulating long-term commitment, nourishing partners even after the sale, and constantly innovating upgrades & custom solutions based on the newest technology.

Future proofing your business by keeping pace with industry trends with a team of dedicated account managers, technical support engineers, telecom experts, and marketing professionals.